Provinces told to submit wheat requirements in writing

ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Tuesday asked provincial governments to submit their total wheat requirements in writing to help the central authorities devise an appropriate distribution strategy for the release of the commodity to all provinces. A senior official of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research (MNFS&R) said that the Minister for National Food Security and Research, Rana Tanveer Hussain, presided over a Wheat Board meeting during which the minister said that verbal demands from the provinces regarding wheat requirements were not enough, asking the provinces to submit their demands in writing. The official said that during the meeting, the representatives of the Punjab government demanded 1 million tons of wheat, Sindh requested 700, 000 tons of wheat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa requested 200, 000 tons, and Balochistan 50, 000 tons. READ MORE: Govt decides to import 1m tonnes of wheat He further said that the meeting reviewed the requirements of provinces from Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (PASSCO). The meeting was informed that the total demand of provinces exceeded the available stocks with PASSCO, he said. He said that the decision to import one million tons of wheat was made following consultation with provinces, based on the demands verbally submitted by provinces. The minister emphasized that all the provinces would be fully taken into confidence during the import process, particularly regarding the quality specifications of the imported wheat. The minister said that wheat would be imported after the provincial governments approved its quality because it would be consumed in the provinces. The minister said that the imported wheat will be distributed among the provinces as per the requirements to ensure transparency, fairness, and equitable allocation. He said that the federal government was closely working with all provinces to ensure wheat supply, protect consumers’ interests, and ensure timely availability of wheat throughout the country. The minister issued directives to authorities concerned to complete all necessary arrangements for wheat import in close coordination with the provinces. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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